Safety-drop tor keys



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

R. K. LEE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SAFETY-DROP FOR KEYS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,280, dated May 18, 1858.

To all whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, RUFUs K. LEE, of Brooklyn, in the-county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use certainnew and useful Improvements in Drops for Keyholes, which I term theSafety-Drop for the Keys of Doors; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same. reference being had to the annexed drawing,making part of this specification, wherein- Figure l, is an elevation ofan escutcheon with my drop applied thereto. Fig. 2, is a verticalsection of the same showing the manner of holding the key in the lock;and Fig. 3, is an elevation of my improved drop as applied to theordinary mineral escutcheon.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

The nature of my said invention consists in the use of a notched dropand a key having a flattened shank or groove over which said drop passesin combination with a peculiar eccentric or cam piece to prevent saiddrop being moved from the outside by a piece of wire inserted throughthe key hole, and also a revolving disk attached to the inner side ofthe drop that will revolve by any pick or similar instrument insertedthrough the key hole, and prevent strain being applied to move saiddrop.

In the drawing a, is the plate of the escutcheon, and is my safety dropwhich in rim locks may be attached to the lock plate instead of theescutcheon plate a.

l, is the screw or rivet on which the drop b, swings. 2, is an openingor notch formed in the said drop Z), which when the key is to be heldfrom being turned, incloses the shank of said key as seen in Fig. 2, thesaid shank having a notch or flat surface 3 formed on one or more sides,of a size to correspond with the width of the said notch 2. I preferthat this flat place be formed so that the bits of the key will hangdownward or on the line of the key hole, so as to prevent the insertionof any instrument into said key hole; and the upper part of this notch2, being slightly cam shaped, will tend to force the shank of the keydownward and bind the barrel (0,) and bits (al) into the lock (e.) Thesaid drop b, should be retained in place by the eccentric or cam f, onthe fulcrum pin 4, which being turned up into a notch 5, on the lowerend of the drop b, eifectually prevents said drop being forced to oneside because the said eccentric f came up from the other side to that onwhich the drop descends, so that any pressure to remove the said droptends to bind the eccentric more securely.

To prevent any wire or pick that might be inserted through the key holebeneath the bits of the key being operative, I attach a disk 6, within arecess in the rear side of the drop so that any instrument enteredthrough said key hole will only act to revolve said disk on its centerpin, and no strain can be applied to the drop b.

I prefer that the edge of the eccentric f, project over the edge of thedrop as at 7 to prevent said drop being bent back.

In Fig. 8, the same parts as previously described are shown as appliedwith the ordinary mineral escutcheon (g), and in this case the eccentricf, will require to be attached to a separate Aplate It, screwed onto thedoor to avoid the use of a new esc utcheon plate (a) in place of that inuse,--or the plates h and a, might be stamped out of one piece.

Having thus described my invention and shown the manner of applying thesame, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent isl. The revolving disk 6, on the rear side of the notched dropZ), for the purposes and as specified.

2. I also claim the employment of the notched drop b, the eccentric fand disk 6, arranged, constructed and operating as specied.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this twenty fifthday of February 1858.

RUF US K. LEE.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, THOMAS G. HAROLD.

